1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Going through Car Wash for 2012 Prius 3

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by bellydancer, Oct 16, 2012.

  1. bellydancer

    bellydancer New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2012
    3
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I read many chats on the subject of taking Prius through car washes, and I have not found information I am looking for. I just bought my Prius a few weeks ago and now need to wash it. The kind of car wash I am considering to use says you put your car in neutral and turn off engine, and I would be in the car while through the wash. I have used this car wash for my previous Camry a number of times. So with Camry, I would put the automatic gear in neutral and turn off engine, and the belts on the car wash floor would take the car though the wash. So I was going through in my mind how I would do that for Prius. I would slow down the car, and make complete stop. I would not put side break of course. I would not press the PARK, correct? (Because I want the car to move with the belts). Assuming that I would not press the PARK switch, do I then put the car in neutral and then just turn off engine at that point? I thought I always have to press PARK before I turn off engine. I am confused because when I start my engine, I noticed that car starts with PARK on it; so if I follow the cash wash instruction to put the car in neutral and then turn off engine, I feel the car would not move along with belts. Your comments are appreciated.

     
    #1 bellydancer, Oct 16, 2012
  2. John H

    John H Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2012
    2,208
    558
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    put the Prius in NEUTRAL but don't turn it off.
     
    #2 John H, Oct 16, 2012
  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,310
    10,159
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Turning off the engine system will automatically put the car in Park. So leave the ignition On / Ready to preserve the Neutral selection.

    Part way through the wash, some owners have run into low battery warnings, telling them to put the car into Park or Drive. Most of these seem to have been caused by the AC draining the traction battery, which cannot be recharged while in Neutral. So turn off the AC before going into the wash.

    Other electrical loads may also drain the battery during the wash, though slower than the AC. If this still leads to a low battery warning, turn off as many electrical things as you can, except the ignition. Then next time, watch the battery bars before entering the wash. If the battery is low, force charge it before going into Neutral, or run the car around the street in gasoline mode to get the battery back up.
     
    #3 fuzzy1, Oct 16, 2012
    tim1234 and 2010_Prius_I_White like this.
  4. 2010_Prius_I_White

    2010_Prius_I_White Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2012
    62
    14
    0
    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    I
    That's exactly what it was for me too. I'm in Vegas, so we pretty much NEED our A/C on while going through part of the wash, so here's a secret...
    When you start out, put it in Neutral. Take off Cruise, Radio, A/C, Lights.
    Half way through, check your battery level, and if it's looking pretty charged (>65%), throw the A/C on. The blowers that dry off the car in at the end will help make it cooler, and you will actually save gas! :D Pretty good stuff. That's how we survive at 110*F out here.
     
    #4 2010_Prius_I_White, Oct 16, 2012
    felix mizioznikov likes this.
  5. Aquos

    Aquos Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2012
    49
    18
    0
    Location:
    houston tx
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    III
    just remember to have foot on brake and hold the gear selector in the "N" position for at least two seconds until you see the dash indicator show that you are in neutral. you must have foot on brake and hold for a long moment. you simply just can not put the gear selector in neutral. I had the carwash drag my car for about 4 feet this week while I was trying to get into neutral.
     
    #5 Aquos, Oct 19, 2012
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)